


The Words to a Siren's Song

by BeignetBenny



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Blood Drinking, DBBB 2015, DeanBenny Big Bang 2015, M/M, Mild Gore, Siren Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 16:43:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4145097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeignetBenny/pseuds/BeignetBenny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Benny liked to believe he was a sensible guy. All the rumors that had been spread around for centuries surrounding mysterious creatures didn’t scare him. They never did, even when he heard a beautiful song that dragged him towards the rocks and gorgeous green eyes that made him want to stay down there. Unfortunately for him, these creatures are ruthless and would destroy a human like him in a second. So why doesn’t the one with the gorgeous green eyes and soothing voice drink him when he has the chance?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Away to the Water

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is for the DeanBenny Big Bang 2015  
> I'd like to thank my beta reader Topetine and my artist is dvorakscountry.   
> Thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoy

Benny is a relatively rational man. He believes in the basics like gravity, the sun being the center of their little solar system, and that there is far more in the universe than can be seen. He doesn’t believe in any of the typical sailors superstitions like bad luck from sailing on Fridays, eating bananas, Davy Jones, they don’t bother him at all. In fact, because of this most sailors that he’s met up with call him a ‘Jonah.’ Very rarely do let him join them on a trip. He’ll admit, it gets a little lonely at times, being considered the black sheep of the flock just because he didn’t believe in a bunch of stories that man told to others to scare them off their territory.

 

He was out on the sea, which was usually pretty calming for him but this time, for some reason, he was weary. Sure, it was the first time he was actually alone this far out, but at least he still knew where he was.

The gentle sway of the _Proud Mary_ , his boat, calmed him down even if it was just the slightest bit.

Benny tried to steady himself when he noticed the small tremor in his hands, not certain what he was concerned about. He glanced around. The water was vast ahead, with only a small rock formation on the horizon that could be avoided easily.

He realized the source of his nerves upon recalling the stories from other sailors; this was supposedly the setting of several encounters with mythical creatures.

It wasn’t truly anxiety that he was feeling, more like anticipation, no matter how much he considered it mumbo jumbo.

He’d used to believe in all of that as a child though. He’d loved going to the beach with his mother and father and once he was sure he saw something. He had been positive it was a little kid, about the same age as him that had looked pretty human, other than the tail that were there instead of legs. He stared at the child for a few moments until he began to hear this gentle music. Benny had liked it a lot, but the other’s green eyes turned panicked. Benny had begun to swim towards where the music was coming from, motioning for the creature to follow him. It shook its head and darted off quickly. Benny would have kept swimming, whether it was after those mysterious and beautiful green eyes or after the amazing music, he wasn’t sure which, if it wasn’t for his father grabbing him out of the water and yelling about how he could have gotten himself killed.

Maybe that’s where that sliver of hopefulness came from. The chance, no matter how small, that he might see that creature with the fantastic green eyes again.

He sailed for a little while longer, with only the sounds of the gulls flying around and the lapping of the water at the hull. The closer he got to the rocks, the calmer he became. He couldn’t quite understand why, but it was a nice feeling.

Suddenly, a song began to play and it took Benny a few moments to really recognize it. The tune, the words, the way he felt when listening to it, it was the exact one that he had heard when he was younger. The song that had felt like the best thing in his life at the time, how could he forget it?

Benny changed direction to sail straight for the rocks, the music getting louder as he approached. He felt his heartbeat get faster and faster, his palms sweaty. He knew that he needed to get to wherever that music was coming from. That was all that was in his mind; that need to get to those rocks just kept replaying and replaying like a mantra.

He got as close as he could without crashing the boat and dropped the anchor, not bothering to make sure his boat was steady before jumping off and onto the rocky shore.

The music was almost deafening now but he didn’t care; he listened to the words and worked on memorizing them. The tune reminded him of a mixture of all his favorite songs mixed with the ones that his mama used to sing to him as a child. The lyrics could make a grown man cry in the best possible way.

But for some reason, they went in one ear and out the other, as if it was the first time he heard the song every time a new verse began.

He continued looking around, seeing if he could find something, anything that would lead him to the source of the music. All rational thinking left his head.

Benny saw movement in the corner of his eye and turned quickly to see what it was. It looked like a man with just his head peeking out of the water. He thought that maybe he was the source of this sweet music. He took a few steps closer to the man, until he was within three feet and he stopped immediately.

Those eyes. He was for sure those had to be the young creature’s eyes that he’d seen all those years ago. Those eyes reminded him of an emerald sitting at the bottom of crystal clear water. He couldn’t take his eyes off of them and began to walk closer to the creature.

He knelt at the edge where the rocky shore met crisp blue water.

“Is it really you?” Benny asked, looking down at the mysterious creature.

He looked unnerved for a moment as he looked up at Benny, before flickering between doubt and alarm.  
The look was entirely to alluring for someone like Benny to just fall for. He leaned over the water, feeling the creature’s hand caress his cheek. It had been so long since he’d experienced that kind of touch.

Suddenly, he was surrounded by cold.  It took his body a few seconds to register that he was in the water. He tried to swim back up, but something kept pulling him down. Benny began to panic, his body naturally trying to take in a few breaths and he began to choke. The last thing that he saw were the beautiful green eyes before his world went dark.

                                                                                     

 

When the man fell into the water, Dean just stared for a few moments, praying to any sea god listening that he couldn’t be the one that they needed. He just couldn’t be. After he saw the sailor’s eyes flutter closed, he lifted the man out of the water and back onto the rocky shore, making sure that the human was breathing again.

Dean shot off like a bullet from the pistol he’d had found in the water years ago and swam into a cave. Stalactites and stalagmites stuck out from every angle as he continued swimming. The cave was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful with the blue-green of the water reflecting off of the walls, making everything shimmer in the dim light, but it was dangerous. It wasn’t the cave itself that was scary or dangerous, it was what resided in the cave that should be feared.

Sirens. The most dangerous and most beautiful things in the water, known for their song and enticing appearance. They’re also infamous for what they need to do to survive. At least, Dean tells himself it’s just to survive, others actually do it for fun, and he tries his best to avoid them.

The air pocket inside the cave was pitch dark, lit only by four small fires in the corners, with a larger one on the small outcropping of rock.

Dean looked back and forth. “Abaddon!” he yelled, still looking around the cave, trying to see if he could see her fiery red hair.

“No need to be so loud about it, mermaid,” the woman said as she walked out of the shadows, wearing absolutely nothing, as sirens have a tendency to do. They were made to get the attention of others for sexual reasons. Sirens could change into anything that the person would want to see. “What do you want?”

“You didn’t tell me I needed to get him,” Dean shouted again, his anger heating up the water around him.

“I told you the tongue of an unbelieving sailor,” she said looking down at him. “Dean, you’re smarter than that. You’re the one who wanted to be a siren and killing is part of the job. You know that.”

“I shouldn’t need to kill him.”

“Who is this _him_ anyway, Dean?” she walked closer to the water and stared Dean down. He shouldn’t have started yelling at the most powerful siren in this part of the world, he didn’t even really know why he was this angry about it. “You were turned into a siren. You should lose all sorts of feelings like that when you become one of us. So tell me, who is this little exception to your contract?”

Dean paused, suddenly becoming more interested with the walls of the cave then Abaddon. “Really? You don’t know?” she asked. “Dean, you still have yet to kill a single human. I expected better than that from you considering who your daddy was.”

“My father has nothing to do with who I am.”

“He’s killed hundreds of our kind,” Abaddon continued, pacing the floor, her hands behind her back. “You know this. We are in the middle of a war and you decide to give up on one of our only chances to win.”

“It’s a spell, Abaddon,” Dean cut in. “We don’t even know if it will work. And, if it does-”

“Everything burns,” she interrupted. “All of them.” There was a glint of pure evil in her eyes. Dean knew it, but there was no turning back now.

“Except my brother, we made a deal.”

“A deal I shall keep as long as you do your part,” she looked back down at him. “You get the parts for the spell, and I save your brother.”

The silence between them was deafening, the only sound was the occasional drip from the ceiling and into the water.

“Fine,” Dean said finally, surprised by the tremor in his voice.

“Oh no,” she said as she knelt in front of him, still using the height she had as an advantage as she loomed over the merman turned siren. “You made this ten times harder on me, and I still need you to get all the ingredients. I’ll give you five days, each day for one ingredient.”

“I only know of one of the ingredients.”

“I’ll send someone,” Abaddon said as she stood up. She then turned around and began to walk back into her place of hiding. “I’ll send a siren to give you your orders for the day. Don’t think this is any sort of mercy, I still plan on making you get his tongue, which looks like it might be more difficult for you to procure.  And if you don’t follow through, your brother and you will just so happen to get caught in the crossfire.”

Before he even had the chance to leave the cave, Abaddon spoke up again. “Dean. Why do you feel the need to defend this strange sailor anyway?”

Dean was hesitant with his answer; he really didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know why he was so attached to him when all they really shared were two looks.

“It’s because I met him before,” Dean responded and swam away quickly, even though he knew that wouldn’t be a sufficient enough answer for Abaddon. Dean nodded then turned around to swim away, already forcing his usual eel like black tale to change into legs, even though it was the most painful thing ever.  


	2. Siren's Blood

Benny wasn’t entirely sure what he dreamed during the night he spent of in the hospital. Hell, he didn’t even know how he got there in the first place, but here he was, laying in the scratchy hospital bed, the sounds of coughing keeping him awake. The doctors said that they found him on his boat, The _Proud Mary_ still anchored in place, not moving an inch. They kept asking him what was the last thing he remembered, and he wanted to say green eyes, but he was sure they’d think he was crazy and send him to an asylum. So he always responded with water surrounding him and someone pulling him out. It wasn’t a lie after all, at least not entirely.

He wasn’t there for too long, at least he didn’t think he was. The entire stay blended together, but that might have been because of how much medicine that they had forced in him. Just the day after he was allowed to leave.

He looked about the boardwalk, stores and a few houses on one side and open waters on the other. Benny used to find comfort in the gentle sound of the water lapping up against the pilings and the presence of the boats at the docks, but the more he thinks about what happened out there, the more unnerving the proximity of the water is. He wasn’t exactly sure who, or what pulled him out of the water, but he knew that whatever he’d seen right before was the same creature he had seen as a child.

“There you are, you Jonah!” Benny turned around at the familiar European accent to see a blonde man wearing a tight white shirt and dark black pants. The shirt and pants showed their age, marred by slight stains and threadbare patches, consistent of the rest of the town’s citizens. It’s not the richest port ever, but they manage to get by, living off what the sea provides.

Another person was by his side, a woman with bright red hair that was tied back and a permanent smile on her face. Her shirt was also not a pristine white, and was buttoned down so that just the slightest of cleavage could be seen. She always said that it was because she liked it when men are fully aware of being beaten by a woman. She wore pants as well, which earned some looks from the few tourists they got, but everybody at the port were used to it from her by now.

“I told you not to call me that.” Benny grumbled as they both caught up to him.

“And we’ve told you countless times that we say it with all the love in the world, grumpy.” The redhead grabbed the tip of Benny’s newsboy hat and pulled it down in front of his eyes, causing him to stop and readjust it.

“Charlie, Balthazar, I’m busy.” Benny said and he kept walking.

“Well that’s no fun is it?” Balthazar said as he put a hand on the sailor’s shoulder. “C’mon. We can head over to the Rusty Canon and grab a few.”

“It’s too early for that. I haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

“We heard you saw something when you were under.” Charlie interrupted with a glint in her eyes she stepped in front of him, causing him to stop once more.

The comment took Benny aback for a brief moment. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“We mean word travels fast.” Balthazar spoke up. “One of your doctors stopped by the tavern last night and it came up in conversation. So what was it? Dryad? Mermaid? C’mon you can trust us. We’re like the misfit toys to these other men. Not like they’re going to believe us anyway.”

“I don’t believe in any of that stuff, you know that.” Benny replied simply, which earned eye rolls from the other two.

“Well, something had to get you out of the water, didn’t it? Siren maybe?” Charlie added.

Benny sighed, knowing that he was trying to fight a losing battle. “Whatever it was, it looked vaguely human. With these green eyes that looked like they could-” He stopped immediately when he saw him. That had to be him. He couldn’t see the eyes from here, but the body and the hair was definitely him. Benny wasn’t certain if it wasn’t a mirage, but surely he wouldn’t have imagined he was speaking to as well?

The man was holding onto a part of his arm as he spoke to the woman. She handed him a clear glass vial which he quickly put into the leather bag he had hooked over his shoulder. There was a pained look on his face as he spoke to the lady, but she had a small smirk on her face.

“Like they could what?” Charlie repeated, confused as to why Benny had stopped speaking. She followed his gaze to see where he was looking and smiled. “That the one you were going on about?” ~~~~

Benny stayed quiet, still looking over at the man and the other woman.

“What’s gotten into you mate?” Balthazar said, moving closer and pitching his voice low. “Never really seen you like this with a guy before. You know, if any of the priests in town saw you staring at that man like that, they’d have your head.”

“I know, I know…” Benny finally said, then turned back to them. “I swear to God, if you tell anybody-”

“Why would we tell anybody?” Charlie interrupted. “We all have out secrets, if any of us shared, they’d hang us all in the streets.” She sighed. “Perks of living here right?” There was a pause, where all of them were quiet, just staring at the man across the street. There was something so enticing about him, everything about him felt like it grabbed their eyes and forced them to look. The feeling was familiar, like when he saw whatever that was that caused him to fall into the water. “You should talk to him.” Charlie continued.

Benny wanted to say no, he wanted to turn around and act like he didn’t even see him. Yet, for some reason, moments later, he found himself face to face with the stranger, his mouth moving on its own. He wasn’t even entirely sure what he was saying, but it got a small smile from the man in response.

“Yeah, I’m the guy who pulled you out of the water. You were unconscious by the time I got to you, so I’m surprised you remembered.” Benny got the gist of what he had asked, probably something along the lines of ‘Do I know you?’

If what the man had said was true and that he was just the guy who had pulled him out of the water, maybe everything else was just something that he had imagined. Maybe he just fell over board, succumbing to the heat of the sun, dehydration, or sleep deprivation, that wouldn’t be too surprising. Everything else that he saw could have been a dream he had while in the hospital; the feeling of the water surrounding him in his dream could have just been cold sweats, but those eyes. That’s what kept throwing him off, they couldn’t have belonged to a human, something too eerily supernatural about them, like how emeralds sparkle in the sunlight.

Yet, here they were on the man who was standing in front of him. “Sir,” the man said. “Are you alright?”

Benny snapped himself out of his stupor. It was probably some side effect of whatever the doctors had given him, so he tried not to think of it too much. “Yeah, I’m alright.” He scratched at the back of his head absentmindedly. “Just got out of the hospital is all. I wouldn’t be too surprised if they gave me something. Thanks for pulling me out by the way, if it wasn’t for you I would have died.”

Piercing green eyes looked at him, his mouth open to say something, but there was a sense of hesitation to it. “Yeah.” He finally said. “I guess you would have.” There was a pause before he began to speak again. “I don’t think I caught your name.”

“Benny Lafitte.” He said as he nodded, grabbing hold of the tip of his hat as he did so.

“It’s French…” he noted.

“We’re in Louisiana, most names are French.” Benny said shrugging. “You know the language?”

The strange man nodded. “A little. I hear it every once and a while. Sometimes I hear people speak it and I just catch on.”

“You know, I didn’t catch your name either.”

“It’s Dean.” the man said.

“No last name?”

Dean shook his head. “Just Dean.”

                                                                                     

“So, what do I have to get first?” Dean asked the woman in front of him. He knew that Abaddon would start sending people, but not people that he actually had a lot of history with.

Day one was Bela.

Bela used to be a mermaid, sure, one that would steal and lie to get what she wanted, but a mermaid none the less. She ended up running into Dean while he was a merman every once and a while, mostly when he was supposed to be hunting down sirens, and she would always somehow manage to get in the way.

She had asked for a spell from Lilith, the Queen of the Sirens at the time, to get rid of her parents. Lilith gave her ten years before she would take her to become a siren.

But, Bela seemed to be doing well. Other than the torturous experience she’d experienced to become one of them. She had just been fully turned, which was surprising considering she’s been gone for years.

“The blood of one turned.” She responded simply, her posh accent definitely not fitting her surroundings.

“Can I use yours?” Dean asked, the Mark of the Siren that he was given roughly a year before, began to hurt, as if he had just got it that day.

“Of course not.” Bela rolled her eyes. “Abaddon said you must use your own.”

“How much do you need?” Dean asked, still rubbing the mark.

“Not much.” She took a glass vial out and handed it to Dean. “Just enough to fill this. You know, you haven’t fed in a while, right?”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “How did you-” he began, but Bela cut him off.

“It’s obvious, Dean. The way you’re reacting to things and the way you’re looking at these sacks of flesh like what they are— _meat_. I’m just saying you should at least get something to hold you over while you’re here. Wouldn’t want you to make a meal of your charge.” She glanced over at the man that Dean had saved. He didn’t even notice that he was over there. “I’m just saying, you should be careful.”

Dean thanked her and watched as she walked away, he would have continued on as well if he hadn’t been met with the man he had saved.

“You okay, brother?” Benny asked after a quick chat, directing his attention towards Dean’s arm.

Dean looked down, he didn’t even notice that he was covering the mark with his hand. “Yeah, I’m alright. It’s nothing.” He moved his hand and tugged down his sleeve.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Dean looked to the ground, as if he suddenly became interested with the pattern that the bricks were laid on the ground.

“You have anywhere to stay?” Benny asked, as he put his hands into his pockets, still not looking away from him.

“Uh no, but…” Dean stopped himself—he needed to remember why he was there in the first place. He needed Benny, for some reason that he didn’t exactly understand yet, for a potion so the sirens can win a war. He had heard rumors of it for a long time, mostly from the merman and other sirens. He needed Benny for the spell, and only the spell, in order to bring his brother back to life. That is of course, if the potion actually works… If, of course, the potion does work. “Are you offering?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced back up at Benny.

Benny smiled back at him, looking a little sheepish. “Well, I guess I am. I have an extra room that you can stay in.”

                                                                                     

Dean looked around the room that was now his for at least for a little while. The room was painted white and had a small table in the corner of the room with a golden candlestick on it holding a partially melted candle in it with its wick charred to a coal-like black. There was a window with a beautiful view of the ocean; the light from the sun, reflecting perfectly off the water was an amazing sight to see.

But Dean had to admit, he didn’t miss it. None of it at all. The cold feeling of the water was replaced by the heat from the sun, being moved by the currents was replaced by the gentle wind blowing in his face.

He turned around and caught a glance of himself in the mirror on the wall, regretting the decision immediately. Still, he found himself walking closer to see his face more clearly. Dean had been told a minor sense of vanity was something that came with the whole merpeople package. There were too many legends being told, and their species being hunted to near extinction, yet they focused on looking their best to attract mates, spending their time making sure their tails were bright and magnificent to attract others.

But, Dean never really felt that way.

He was just there to be a soldier, nothing more, nothing less. Even now, he didn’t really feel vain about certain things, like his tail. It used to be a bright green, but once he took on that damned mark, it began turning darker and darker into a sleek black. The texture was similar to that of an eel’s or a snake’s, the shape like a shark’s. He hated his new set of teeth the most, XXX.

He can change his look to be anyone. Pretty girl? Easy. President? Been there done that. Dead loved one? Probably most common. But those teeth were always still there, hidden out of sight under the façade he creates to feed.

Which reminded Dean of why he was here in the first place. He grabbed the glass vile from his bag and looked it over. There was a cork on top and some sort of design carved into it. He began to look around the room for something sharp that he can use as his eyes fell back on to the mirror. It’s not like he planned on using the it anyway.

He didn’t fully realize that he had hit it until he saw his reflection with hundreds of lines going through it. The biggest crack split was through ~~out~~ the middle of his reflection, the blood from his knuckles dripping down slowly.

He took a few steps back, his reflection staring him down as he glared right back. Dean could hear footsteps walking to his room, so he began to work quickly. He grabbed a shard of the glass, took a deep breath, and began to cut a line across his hand. He removed the cork from the bottle and began to squeeze his hand to cause the blood to flow quicker into the vial.

The steps got closer, ~~so~~ and Dean put the cork back on quickly, hoping that it would be enough for the spell, and put it back into his bag.

“You okay in there, Dean?” Benny said, opening the door, noticing the damage that had been done. He sighed. “Care to explain?” He sounded patient, yet aggravated like Dean remembered the way his mother used to speak to him. She was always calm, even when her eyes looked like they held the worst of storms within.

“Uh…” Dean started, scratching at the nape of his neck. “I bumped into it.”

It was obvious ~~on~~ from Benny’s expression that he didn’t believe a word that was coming from Dean’s mouth, but he question him. “You messed up your hand pretty bad, brother.” He said, taking a few steps closer and into Dean’s personal space. The siren flinched away at the touch before he realized that Benny was just trying to help. “You’re a little jumpy. Is something wrong?”

“Nothing.” Dean responded quickly. “It was nothing.”

Again, Benny didn’t believe him, but he didn’t push the subject any further. “If you say so. But, I’ll still need to get a look at your hand.”

Dean obliged, letting the sailor look it over. He let out a small hiss when Benny tried to uncurl his fingers.

“That is pretty bad. You might need something a little more than gauze to put you back together again, Humpty.”

He knit his eyebrows together, the nickname unfamiliar to him. “Who?”

“It’s a children’s story about an egg.” Benny said like it was obvious, but then noticed Dean’s confusion. “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again.”

“You never said it was an egg,” Dean commented as he glanced up to meet Benny’s eyes.

The sailor hesitated, considering it, “I…” He started and laughed. “I guess I didn’t… Well, that definitely puts a damper on the whole story.” Benny turned back towards the door and began to walk out. “Follow me, Dean. We’ll find something that can keep you together.”

                                                                                     

Benny watched Dean carefully as he wrapped his wounded hand with gauze. The man barely showed any response if something hurt, maybe a flinch here and a hiss there. It might have been because of the jumpy comment, but Benny wasn’t too sure.

They were sitting at the wooden table in the dining room, a small first aid case sitting next to them. “That to tight?” Benny asked as he did the finishing touches on the wrap around Dean’s hand.

“It’s fine.” Dean responded simply. He seemed distracted by the surroundings, fishing paraphernalia was on the walls, and a few pictures of family. “Who is that?” He asked, pointing to a picture of a woman with dark hair that curled down ~~to~~ her back. The dress she wore was slim and had a train that extended a few feet behind her and was gray in the photograph, but Benny remembered it ~~as~~ being a beautiful cream. It didn’t have the same types of ruffles that most women’s clothes had at the time, it was far more elegant, at least to him.

“That’s Andrea.” Benny smiled at the picture wistfully. “I actually forgot I had that one up.”

“Is she your-” Dean started, but Benny cut him off, shaking his head.

“Oh, no. Well, not anymore. We used to be together. That picture was actually from our first date, we went to the fair that was in town…” He cleared his throat, covering up the smallest tremor in his voice. “But, things change, people change, too. I’ve decided to not let it bother me too much.”

Dean nodded in understanding. “For what it’s worth, I used to have somebody, too. I didn’t think it would really end but,” He shrugged. “Like you said, people change.”

It was quiet between them for while before Benny broke the silence. “Well, it’s been quite the day, hasn’t it? How about we eat some dinner then head to sleep?”

 


	3. Hourglass

Dean felt like he was back in battle, thrashing and cutting with his brother by his side. The mark already was given to him and he felt incredibly powerful. He could slay whatever was in his path unscathed until he felt the blade ~~in~~ pierce his chest. He didn’t really register how it had gotten there, but the burn was overpowering. He watched Sam swim toward him quickly, a horrified look on his face before everything faded. The next thing he saw was Abaddon, his queen, standing over him with a smirk on her face. “Welcome to the big leagues, kid.”

Dean shot up like a catapult and began to look around the room. The room was still the same, the small shards of glass were still on the floor, and the window still looked out over the water, and his tail had not returned. He wasn’t back in the water with Abaddon.

He looked around the room more frantically, and spotted the old satchel in the corner of the room. The glass container was still in the open bag. Dean wasn’t entirely sure if he had left it like that, but figured that it looked well enough to have not been disturbed while he slept. He got out of the bed and stepped onto the creaky floor, the sound startling him at first before he fully realized what it was.

Dean smelled something new and wonderful coming from the kitchen, and followed it to find Benny in the kitchen, standing at the stove. Benny was wearing a simple pair of striped pajamas ~~,~~ with the first four buttons on top undone. Dean couldn’t exactly help but notice that the man’s pants were hanging low on his hips.

“What are you making?”

“Just some fried eggs and toa-” Benny had begun saying, but as he turned around to see the other, his words stopped. “Oh, Boy…”

Dean was very confused at first then looked down, taking in what might have made the man so uncomfortable. Maybe Benny didn’t like his choice of sleeping attire of just his shirt, maybe it wasn’t really the norm for humans to wear this little. No wonder all the sailors and pirates reacted the way they did when they would see a group of sirens on the rocks. They never wore anything at all; that was a part of the alluring process.

“Not good?” He asked, a slight mischievous tone in his voice and a small smirk on his lips. He had to admit, he wanted to know how the man would react.

Benny stared for a few more moments before responding. “You don’t have any other clothes do you?” Dean shook his head. “You should get your clothes from yesterday on. We’ll head out into town and get you a few essentials. Do you know how long you’ll be staying?”

“Just the week,” Dean said, his smirk fading. “Maybe a little shorter, maybe a little longer.” He turned and left the kitchen and went to grab his clothes before heading to the bathroom.

He laid his clothes and a towel on the floor next to the tub, then sat on the ground as well. There was a mirror in there as well, Dean had caught a glimpse of himself again. He hated the fact that Benny had so many, they seemed like they were everywhere. At least that was what it felt like. He would always see himself and know how his true form would lurk behind his façade and he would begin to hate himself and his decisions all over again.

He put a hand to his ~~own~~ face, feeling the slight amount of stubble underneath his palm. Sure, that’s what he used to look like as a merman, and it was his preferred disguise, that that wasn’t even him anymore. But that wasn’t even him anymore. Dean was dead, had been for ~~e~~ months now. He was just a killer, ~~he~~ who scavenges for food anywhere he can get it and if that’s some human who wanders up to him on the rocks, then her fate is sealed.

He remembered how merpeople would call sirens ‘bottom feeders’, believing that you could summon one just by saying its name. They treat them like monsters, and what made it worse for Dean, was that he didn’t even really think himself as one unless he saw the reflection of his true form. But he was, and there was nothing changing that.

Dean climbed into the claw foot tub and sank into it. He was only doing this for the purpose of hygiene now, finding it hard to relax while he was in water. The long ink like tail would always fight to be seen, but Dean would hold it back. It took a lot of focus to hold a form but it was even harder when he was in his natural habitat.

Yet, for some reason, the water still gave him a sense of unease and challenged the focus he gave into keeping his legs. He couldn’t exactly figure out why, but decided against straining himself about it.

                                                                                     

The sight was still a little shocking to Benny. Is he comfortable with his sexuality? Not really, but he did know what he liked. And he _really_ liked Dean. Has he liked other men before? Maybe a few times when he was a lot younger, but nothing that he gave second thought to. Benny returned his attention to plating the eggs when he heard the water turn on in the bathroom.

He liked Dean, he really did, but for some reason it still felt ~~in~~ the slightest bit fake to him, like both of them are just putting on a show for each other. He’s only flustered thinking about Dean when he’s actually in the room with him. Any other time, he just really sees him as a nice, attractive guy that he wouldn’t mind messing around with, or maybe taking him out to dinner, nothing more than that. But when he’s around Dean, he feels like an animal in heat, just filling with need. The scenarios that he would make up in his head were worthy of being drowned in holy water and more than one wash with soap.

He waited in the kitchen for Dean to come out of the bathroom, and when he did, the butterflies were there again. Still just small flutters, but still had the same effect.

“Sorry about the way I acted earlier, brother.” Benny finally said when Dean sat down at the table in front of him.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Benny.” Dean responded as he took a forkful of eggs, looking it over, and then taking a bite. “These are really good.” He commented after swallowing.

“You think so?” Benny raised an eyebrow. “There’s nothing really special about them. Just fried eggs with some salt and pepper thrown on.”

Dean paused before taking another bite. “Never had them before. I didn’t know people could eat eggs.”

“Didn’t think you could eat eggs?” Benny repeated, skeptically. “Where are you even from? You look like you’re from around here. Talk like it to. But you don’t know about basic breakfast food?”

Dean hesitated before answering by taking another bite. “It’s kind of far away. I don’t think you would recognize the place.”

“Is that all you’re going to say about that?” Benny asked to which Dean responded to with a nod. “If you say so, brother.”

                                                                                        

Dean had expected it to take longer for them to get there, but they were far closer to ‘town’ than Dean had first thought. Sure, it wasn’t the big city that he was expecting, but they did get a little farther than the pier that was the only human civilization he’d visited more than a few times. The sea was his home, and he was more than a little nervous and excited when they drove off of the docks and onto the roads.

They had taken the taxi which was nice, which was an entirely new experience before, having never seen one up close, let alone ridden in one. The feel of the bumps in the road were shocking, and he would jump a little with each one. Benny didn’t seem to notice though, distracted by talking to the driver about something. Dean wasn’t even paying attention until he heard the driver mention something about a war.

“What do you mean war?” Dean asked looking back over to Benny as he waited for an answer.

“You really don’t know?” Benny asked. Dean shook his head. “Wow, you must’ve been pretty sheltered the past few years. Europe has been at war since 1914 with itself.”

“If you ask me, they should’a just kept their war to themselves and not brought us into it.” The driver said, glancing back at Dean before turning his attention back to the road ahead of them.

“Haven’t been brought into anything.”

“Yet,” The driver interrupted. “You heard just as much as I have. Woodrow’s been thinking about it since all our allies are in it.”

“Well, let’s be hopeful-”

“No such thing as hope now, sir. Now, I’m the biggest patriot I know and I would do anything for this beautiful country, except give my life for some other country’s war. All of us are gonna be drafted without a second thought, fighting for something that we don’t even know what it is.”

The cab was quiet after that for a few moments, all of them left alone with their thoughts. There was a war where Dean was as well, for reasons that he didn’t quite understand either, yet there he is in the front line having to kill the man who was supposed to be king over all.

“On a lighter note,” The driver began. “We’re here.”

Benny got out of the car first before opening the door for Dean and handing some money to the driver. “So, other than clothes is there anything else you need?”

Dean was about to respond until he saw a woman with golden blonde hair and a look of disgust on her face. It had been a while since he saw her. Ruby, the she wasn’t the ones who had been turned, but she sure acted like it. Sometimes she was bitter about being brought up in the way that all sirens were. They were scavengers, and she felt she deserved better.

“You still there brother?” Benny asked as he snapped in front of Dean’s face.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he responded. “It’s okay if I grab a few other things while we’re out, right?”

Benny shrugged. “I guess, we still have to eat for the next week though, okay?”

Dean nodded. “You go ahead, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Benny was skeptical at first, for good reason. The stranger that supposedly saved his life has been acting off ever since he let him in, after all. He made sure Dean knew how to get in before he walked into the building and the door closed behind him.

Dean quickly hurried over to the woman. “Okay, what do I need to get?”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “ _That’s_ really what you’re messing the whole plan up for?” She said, motioning to the door that Benny had just walked into. “A burly sailor? There are a million of humans like him, Dean.”

“Just tell me what I need to get next, okay?”

“Someone’s in a bad mood. Either way, what you need next is the sands of time.”

Dean paused. “Sands of time? Really? What am I going to do? Just take a quick swim down to Atlantis?”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “The name is dramatic, yes, but all you need is an hourglass. Sure, it won’t be as good, but Abaddon told me that it should work just as well.”

“Good. Can you leave now? Please? I’m having trouble keeping the curtain up as it is, I don’t need you ruining it.”

                                                                                     

Benny watched as Dean walked around the shop, the man continuing to get distracted by the simplest things: books, posters, and even a few utensils had caught his eye.

“You keep looking at him like that, people will start to assume things,” the man working at the register said. “They’ll want to throw you in an asylum and put the fear of God in you.”

Benny rolled his eyes. “I’ve gotten that threat my entire life. There are people a lot worse than me out there who deserve the fear. Besides,” He looked back at Dean who began scanning an isle full of knick-knacks. “It’s not like that.” That was a lie, the biggest lie that Benny was sure that he’s ever told. He liked the mysterious man more than he feels safe to admit. He’s not entirely sure if the feeling is returned, but Benny couldn’t help but hope.

Dean walked over to the two of them, holding a magazine that read ‘The Magnificent Harry Houdini’, and an aged looking hourglass, and a few articles of clothing.

“What’s the book and the hourglass for?” The man at the front desk asked.

“The book looked interesting,” Dean said as he looked down at the items in his hand. “I can get it, right?”

“I’m sure you can,” The man at the register started. “As long as you can pay for it and that hourglass.”

Benny looked closer at the hourglass in Dean’s hand. “Is it expensive?”

“If by expensive you mean, definitely in no way in a fisherman’s price range, then yes.”

“It’s not even that impressive,” Benny commented.

“It’s was found on a pirate ship in the Mediterranean,” the man said. “I bet it’s older than you, too.”

“It’s fine, I don’t need it,” Dean cut in as he set the hourglass back on the table. “Just the clothes and the book I guess.” He said as he smiled.

Benny hesitated, the smile on the mysterious man’s face didn’t look truthful. After a few moments, he paid and they left the store together. When they walked out of the small shop, Benny couldn’t help but ask. “What was the hourglass and the book for anyway?”

Dean shrugged. “The hourglass looked interesting,” he responded casually. “The book was because it looked pretty amazing too.”

“What? Houdini? Sure, I guess he’s pretty interesting. It’s all smoke and mirrors, though.” Benny glanced over just in time to see Dean’s face fall. The man really did seem excited about it. “I’ll have to take you to one of his shows someday. The only problem is it’s a little expensive. But, I’ll try.”


	4. Vampire's Smile

Dean kept looking at the hourglass. It was easy to swipe considering the clerk was only focused on the money in Benny’s hand ~~~~

So, now what does he do?

Dean didn’t want to really break it. The craftsmanship was beautiful and he’s been too interested with humans to just break something like it. It had his attention throughout most of the night. He would turn it upside down, watch the sand flow into the bottom, then turn it around again and repeat. The flow of the sand was extremely calming. Good thing it was too, considering the only other things on Dean’s mind were Benny, the potion, and feeding.

He took a deep breath. Even just thinking about being able to feed made his mouth water and his stomach growl. Dean put the hourglass into his satchel and hid it under his bed. The rest of the night was spent staring at the ceiling, trying to calm down the urge that was building up.

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

He needed something. Anything. It had been far too long for a siren not to feed. No, it hadn’t been. He’s gone longer. ~~~~

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

Dean couldn’t do it, not for very much longer. He sat up in ~~his~~ bed, try to calm himself. It wasn’t working. It wasn’t working. Violent tremor’s started in his hands, he needed something. Anything.

A distraction, he needed a distraction. Dean looked around the room again, and it felt like the four white walls were beginning to close in.

“Benny!” Dean found himself yelling before he’d even realized it. Calling Benny was probably the worst idea ever considering that the reaction was caused by his need to feed, and Benny had just what he needed.

The man came running in seconds after Dean called. “Is everything okay? What happened?” He said worriedly.

Dean took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm himself down. “Sorry, I’m fine. Bad dream. You can go back to sleep.”

“You sure?” Benny said taking a few steps closer to Dean. He flinched away in response. “That doesn’t look fine, brother.”

“Well, I am,” Dean insisted. It was quiet between the two of them for a few moments. He glanced out of the window to see the sun just beginning to peak past the horizon. “What time it is?”

“About six,” Benny said, as he looked out of the window as well. “How about we head out to my boat today. So far the sky looks nice, I doubt any bad weather is coming up for a while.”

The comment confused Dean at first. The thought to him sounded almost random, but he did know that it would help, or at least distract him long enough.

                                                                                     

Benny knew that something was really wrong with Dean the moment they had met.  The man had a constant state of anxiety about him and almost never ~~met~~ looked Benny in the eye. He also knew almost nothing about him, other than that he was the one who saved him. That, and how Dean’s eyes sparkled whenever Benny mentioned his business and how he spends most of his days on his boat or just anything about the sea in general. Dean would begin to speak faster and become more animated with his hands and the life would come back his eyes. So, if taking him out on the water was the only way Benny knew how to help the man, then he would.

They had just gotten to the docks where Benny’s prized possession was parked and Dean still seemed to be on edge, or hiding something at least.

“What are we doing out here anyway?” Dean finally said as he watched Benny begin to undo the knots that were keeping his boat in place.

“I need to go to work. Having a house guest doesn’t really change that,” Benny stood up and tossed the ropes into the boat. “Besides, you looked like the kind of person to enjoy a day out on the water, and I need the extra hands. After maybe we can head to the tavern. Sure, it’s not too impressive, but you can get a quick drink there without paying too much. Sound good to you?”

Dean smiled and nodded. “Sounds fun, I guess. Never been to one before though.”

“Really?” Benny asked as he climbed onto the boat, then assisted Dean in as well even though he was sure the man could have gotten in himself. “That’s actually pretty impressive. How old are you?”

“I’m in my thirties,” Dean said after a moment of hesitation. “And it’s not because I didn’t want to. I just never had the chance to.”

“And why is that?” Benny questioned as he started up the boat.

“Because I was busy,” Dean said folding his arms over his chest. “I was always too busy taking care of my little brother or some other family stuff to have fun by myself. Everything I did, I did for a reason.”

“Am I finally getting insight on the lovely life of Dean –” Benny stopped himself and thought for a few seconds. “You really need a last name brother. Your real one if you have one, but if you aren’t willing to share, one made up will do.”

“Why do I need a last name? I think Dean is just fine.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t really introduce you as ‘Just Dean’ now, can I? Either that or I’ll have to use my own last name, but we’d get run out of town for that”

“Do you have any names in mind?”

“Never been too good at names, brother,” Benny said as they began to steer away from the docks and further into the water. “Morgan, Campbell, Smith…”

“I don’t really like any of those,” Dean said as he leaned against the passenger chair. “Actually, there was this name I saw on the side of a pistol that I own. Winchester… I think it was Winchester.”

“Winchester Repeating Arms Company,” Benny said, then shrugged. “You want that to be your last name?” Dean nodded excitedly. “Well then, Dean Winchester, is there anything else to know about you?”

 

Dean was still very vague with his entire story, but it was nice to learn a few more things about his strange savior. Dean had a younger brother, and a father who was strict and almost never at home. Their mother had passed away when Dean and his brother were very young and Dean said that he barely remembers what she looked like. He apparently learned a few defense techniques while he was growing up and he was an amazing swimmer.

“I’ve only been out this way a few times,” Dean continued. “I’m not really used to being around so many people like this. I live kind of out of the way. Well, I did.”

“What do you mean you did?” Benny asked as he pulled in a net full of assorted fish. “You don’t live there anymore?”

Dean shook his head, but the mention of him leaving home made him close off. Benny wouldn’t have been too surprised if Dean decided against sharing. “I just left,” He ended up saying. “A lot of family stuff was happening. It was a stressful time for all of us.”

It was quiet between them for a few moments more, the only noise was the crash of the waves against the hull of the ship and the occasional slip and slide of the fish that were hanging on for dear life and still trying to flop themselves into the water.

“Is there anyone else who works on the ship?”

“Sometimes, but it’s mostly just me.”

“What do you do with all the fish afterwards?”

“Drop some off at the market, keep some for myself. There’s an orphanage a little ways out of town that I usually drop the rest at. My niece stays there because her mother passed away and her father was a drunk. She’s about fifteen now so she’ll be able to get out soon, but I still like to help out as much as I can.” Benny heard footsteps come closer, he looked over his shoulder just in time to see Dean kneel down so that he was on the floor of the boat as well and feel him hug him from behind.

“You’re an amazing guy, Benny.” Dean said as he sighed into the back of Benny’s neck.

“Thanks for that, Dean,” Benny said after a moment of hesitation, slightly startled by the advance. “Hope you don’t mind me asking, but is something wrong?”

“I’m fine, just tired is all.” When Benny felt Dean’s lips pressed against the nape of his neck, he froze and he felt as if the entire world could see and that he would soon be taken out of his home and beaten in the streets. But, when he did look around, there was still no one that could have even seen the two. The closest person was on the dock and had their back turned from where they were. Yet, with all of the panic running through his mind, he still felt himself melt into the touch. When he realized what exactly what happened, he decided to speak up.

“Do you want to head back home?” Benny cracked out, then cleared his throat.

“ _Home?_ Didn’t think that your house was supposed to be my home too,” Dean said, the crack in Benny’s voice having gone unnoticed by him. “No, I don’t want to head back yet. You still want to go to the tavern, right?”

                                                                                     

The idea of a home besides the occasional cave that Dean managed to find himself in, or the rocks that he usually finds his victims is completely foreign to him. When Benny had just said _that_ , his heart began to pound. Dean wasn’t even entirely sure if his reaction was good or bad. While he knew he shouldn’t have become so attached to Benny, and shouldn’t have been considering Benny’s house his home, he couldn’t help it. He even began to fantasize about staying on land for longer than his mission.

Dean didn’t want it to end anytime soon, but he knew the week ~~s~~ was coming to a close and quickly. He also noticed how much rougher the sea had become in his days away. There were still some calm moments, but most days the water spent sloshing against the rocks and beating at the sand, making an attempt to drag off anyone who even set foot past the shore. The ocean was restless, spreading to all of its inhabitants, including Dean.

When they walked into the tavern, _The_ _Rusty Cannon,_ Dean felt any sense of control he’d held onto waver. There were so many people inside and Dean was just so hungry; he could hear the pumping of the blood of every single patron. All of his thoughts were covered up of the heartbeats of all the humans around him. Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Ba-boom.

“Dean, what’s wrong?” Dean barely heard his friend’s voice over the sound filling his brain.

“Nothing,” Dean lied quickly. “I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed with… well, everything right now.”

“There’s nothing to be overwhelmed about,” Benny said. “How about I buy you a drink and introduce you to a few friends?”

Dean sat down at the bar, still focusing on keeping his hunger in check. Benny introduced Dean to two of his friends, Charlie and Balthazar, but Dean wasn’t very good company. He just responded with ‘sure’ and ‘okay’ to most of what they said to him. He downed a good few of the harder liquors and seemed to impress the few patrons who were sitting at the bar along with Benny’s friends.

“I’m gonna go out and get some air,” Dean said as he set down his glass on the bar before turning towards Benny. “I’ll be back soon.” He left the tavern and stepped into the chill of the night before giving Benny a chance to respond.

He breathed out and watched as the steam caused by his breath blew out in front of him then rose into the sky. It had ~~n’t~~ gotten a lot colder since earlier in the day and the chilled wind was making it almost difficult for him to breathe.

“I’m surprised you haven’t died yet,” A voice said behind him.

Dean turned quickly to see a woman with dark hair pinned atop her head wearing a long gray dress. Her hazel eyes felt as if they were piercing through his body and her pale skin looked milky in the dark of the night. He was probably hallucinating but he was sure that he saw the shapes of her bones beneath his skin.

“Who the hell are you?” Dean demanded, taking a step back.

She wasn’t a siren, he could tell by just taking a quick glance at her. Sirens and other merfolk may be difficult to tell apart by humans, but to Dean they were obnoxiously obvious.

For Sirens, it’s the eyes. Their eyes can change colors depending on the light, and humans found their voices incredibly alluring. Selkies’, skin has an almost grayish tone and are never seen without a darker gray cloak around them. Mermaids and Naiads hold themselves differently. They aren’t as used to being out of the water and without their tails as the others are, and the transformation from merfolk to human is far more excruciating and less seamless than the sirens.

“I’m not surprised you don’t remember. Very few do remember a reaper after all.” She said with a small glow in her eye.

Dean froze. He should have known, her pale, translucent skin should have given it away. “Abaddon is seeking help of merrows now?” He said in disbelief.

“You’d be surprised as to how desperate one can get in ~~the~~ times of war.”

“You still never told me who you are.”

“Tessa,” the merrow responded. “The only reason why I’ve joined your cause is because we have a common enemy. We’re seen as lower than the mermaids and mermen who lead our society, just like you. And it all has taken a turn for the worse.”

“I can tell,” Dean said looking to the water.

“You don’t understand. The war is completely out of hand, merfolk are dying for a war that could have been prevented easily. You need to finish your mission more quickly.”

“I can’t finish anything without knowing what I’m supposed to do.”

“The tongue of a man who doesn’t believe and your lover’s heart.”

Dean froze, then turned to glare at Tessa. “What do you mean by that?”

“It’s self-explanatory, Dean,” She said, her tone changing from one of a general of war to a voice similar to a vixen coaxing her prey into her den. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sacrifices must be made, your first target is already here, and your second you can persuade to do anything. Even death, for you. He would be loyal to you even without your powers and you know that. He loves you.”

“And why the hell should I follow through with my end of the deal? Anyone can do this, not just me.”

“Oh, Dean, you’re a warrior, born into a family of warriors. You were the one made to do this and you know it. And if you don’t hold up your side of the deal, Abaddon won’t hold up hers either. Now,” The man she had pointed out earlier was speaking to another man outside of the building. “He shouldn’t be that hard to get. All you need to do is cut out his tongue. It’s not difficult.”

Dean looked at the man and recognized him from the shop. He was scrawny, but tall, with dark hair and a permanent unnerving sneer on his face. When Dean looked back to ask Tessa something, she had disappeared.

The store owner turned to see Dean walking towards him and began yelling. “Hey, you’re the one who stole the hourglass. I could have made thousands on that. I’ll report you to the police, I swear. And if that doesn’t work I can just mention your unnatural relationship with that sailor of yours too. I saw you two on his boat.”

Dean couldn’t hide the smirk that he had when the man said that. It would be far easier to do what was necessary after hearing that. Not to mention, what Tessa said reminded Dean of something: he was a warrior, born and raised. He fought, but never killed until he’d become a siren, and now the thought was exhilarating. He hadn’t fed in so long, and while killing the man wouldn’t be necessary, it would sure as hell lessen the hunger.

“How about I ask you few questions first,” Dean said, taking steps closer to the man.

“And why should I answer them?”

“Just because I’m curious. You don’t believe in any of that sailor superstition shit, right? Mermaids? Sirens?”

“Hell no, why?”

Dean shrugged, to the unbeliever after picking up a shard of glass from a broken beer bottle off the ground. “Just making sure. Open wide.”

The man barely had a chance to respond other than a screech before Dean slit his throat and started drinking. The coppery taste of the blood going down his throat caused a burn that Dean had only felt a few times before. Before, he only fed when absolutely necessary, but that, that was the best tasting thing he ever had and he needed more. Hell, he almost forgot why he only did this when necessary in the first place.

Dean pulled away, the only sound he could register now was his own heart pounding in his ears. His hands were still shaking, not because of his hunger, Dean was sure of that, but why hadn’t they stopped yet. He looked back to the body, and seeing the blood still seeping out of the gash made his stomach but simultaneously made Dean feel as if he was going to vomit.

The copper smell no longer made him lust after the blood. He was a monster, and he knew it. But he was still hungry. So hungry and absolutely disgusted by it.

Dean brought his hand to his mouth and wiped at it, seeing the man’s blood on his hand. He quickly looked around to find something that would clean away the blood and the shame that came along with drinking it. He ended up ripping off some extra cloth from his shirt and made an attempt to scrub it off.

When his stomach finally settled more, and the last traces of the blood were mostly gone. Only Benny and his two friends had seemed to have noticed his absence.

“Are you feeling okay?” Charlie asked as she looked over him. “You look really pale. If I wasn’t so sure about how safe this area is I would think you just witnessed a-”

“Murder!” A man yelled as he ran into the tavern, his arms waving over his head and fear in his eyes. “Dick, the shop owner! I found him in the alley with his throat slashed and his tongue cut out!”

There was a collective gasp throughout the bar and Dean began to feel sicker when he saw the disgusted and horrified looks among the patrons.

Some began to get up from their seats to see the body, those few included Charlie, Balthazar, and Benny, but before he could get too far, Dean grabbed onto his sleeve.

“We need to go,” Dean said, not intending for his voice to break like that. “Now.”

Benny didn’t question it, also spooked by the death but for all different reasons and guided them back home.

                                                                                     

“So, you are you going to tell me what all of that was about?” Benny said as he closed and locked the door behind him. Dean was already inside, pacing back and forth.

Dean’s only response was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. He wouldn’t look Benny in the eyes and he continued pacing. Too many thoughts were rushing through his head and he couldn’t think straight, but he did know that he needed to fix all of it. _Somehow_.

He could leave then go back to the ocean and beg Abaddon for forgiveness because he didn’t finish his task. Dean quickly scratched the idea considering he knew Abaddon to well for his begging to work, but he also knew there was no better choice. He couldn’t kill Benny, and if he didn’t then she would kill his brother, Sam, and he refused to do either of those.

He had to leave, but he knew he couldn’t just walk out on him. Not without having to give answers of some sort. The only way he could avoid that was while Benny was asleep, but he didn’t want to hurt him. Nor did he want to force Benny into anything he might not fully agree with. ~~~~

“Brother,” Benny spoke up again. “I’m really starting to worry. What’s wrong?”

Dean took a deep breath before turning towards the sailor. He leaned against the wall and smirked, forcing away his doubt and looking at him alluringly the same way he used to lure in sailor after sailor to feed himself “Nothing’s wrong,” Dean started, speaking with as much of his power that he could. “Why would anything be wrong?”

“You just –”Benny began but stopped suddenly. “You were – I don’t know… What was I worried about?”

Dean shrugged, still forcing his voice to stay calm. “No idea,” He took a few steps closer as he calculated his next move. Leaving was still the best choice, meaning Benny would live. But Sam… he can’t lose Sam. It was either Benny or his brother at that point, but he still didn’t want to decide.

“You know, I’ve been thinking.” Dean finished as the gap between them shrinks to mere inches He draws a circle over the sailor’s heart.

“Is that a good thing?”

“I guess it depends.”

“On what?”

“On you.”

“Honestly, with a voice like that I’d do anything for you.” Benny admitted. Dean was unsure if it was because of the spell that his voice carried or was it really just the way Benny thought.

“Oh really?” Dean asked, which Benny responded to with a nod. He leaned in closer so that his lips were centimeters away from the other man’s ear. “We both know the way you were looking at me earlier. You might has well have been drooling.”

Benny’s face began to heat up. “Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize, brother,” Dean said before nibbling at his ear. “You know exactly what I want. What we both want.”

“Well, I just want to make sure. How about you tell me yourself.”

“Fuck me,” Dean responds against Benny’s ear. “I’m sure I can handle whatever you have to give.”

Dean’s words were like a switch for Benny. He grabbed the siren’s hips and pulled him into a hard, bruising kiss.

Dean knew not to get too attached to the sailor, but just when he heard the accelerated beating of Benny’s heart as they kissed and grabbed at each other, he began to doubt his plan more and more.

                                                                                     

It hadn’t been soft nor tender like the other gentle touches they had shared for the short while that they knew each other. Benny’s hands felt heavy on every inch of Dean’s body that he touched. It was all desperate, with Dean grabbing on to the last moments of intimacy between them, but Dean still wasn’t ready to let go. Not when he found himself awake and being held by Benny, his lover. Not when he pulled his clothes back on, as he watched him still laying in the bed, not stirring.

Dean knew when Tessa had told him that he’d need to kill Benny that he wouldn’t be able to follow through, and nothing had changed, even though Dean knew what would happen to his brother if he didn’t. Screw Abaddon and everything that she stood for. Dean refused to let anything happen to the people that he loved, especially by his own hand.

He knew better than to just leave, so he grabbed a pad of paper from Benny’s desk and ripped a sheet out, writing a note on it in red ink.

_Benny,_

_We both know that this could never work_ _. I really want it to, but it just can’t. For reasons that would be best unexplained, I have to go. You can return the clothes and the Houdini book that you got for me._

_I’m sorry for everything that I did,_

_Dean_

The siren would have written more and possibly taken up the whole pad of paper if it wasn’t for Benny stirring. He folded the paper and set it onto the bed side table before leaving.

                                                                                     

Benny woke up slowly, the night before still reeling in his head. He turned over and was surprised when he didn’t see Dean laying there, just the cold side of the bed, the blanket laid neatly there as if it had never happened. He knew it did, it was too fresh in his memory, to vivid, to be any sort of dream. He began to climb out of bed and begin to look for the other man, a piece of paper on the nightstand caught his eye. He picked it up and scanned it, the words hard to read, all scratched onto the paper and rushed.

“Dean?” Benny called out; knowing that there wouldn’t be an answer didn’t stop him from searching. He hoped that maybe he woke up quickly enough that Dean hadn’t left yet. He began to look around the small house and saw that Dean left what Benny had bought him along with the bag that the man had brought with him. He didn’t feel right about prying, but there was a chance that there could be some sort of hint within the satchel as to where Dean had gone.

The first thing he took out was the old hourglass that they had seen at the store and Benny was sure that Dean hadn’t purchased it. The closer he looked at it, the more ornate the details he noticed. Each grain of sand in the hourglass was a pristine white and the designs etched into the wood showed scenes of undersea creatures. There was no way that they could have afforded it so Dean had stolen it. Maybe that was why Dean was spooked the night before with the news that the shop owner had been murdered. ~~~~

Next, he took out a glass vial with a dark red liquid in it. There wasn’t much liquid inside, but it clung to the sides of the glass as Benny turned it over in his palm. Although the cork was still on the container, Benny could still smell the When Benny realized that the mysterious liquid was blood, he put it back into the bag slowly, as to not break the vial. It wasn’t that the idea of the blood repulsed him, but it was the presence and where he had found it that did.

Benny didn’t bother digging anymore, knowing that there was a chance to find far more than he should have known. He gently closes the bag again, before picking it up and putting it over his shoulder. Considering what laid inside, Benny was sure Dean didn’t mean to leave it there and so far it was his only lead to finding Dean. With that, he began his search.

                                                                                      

Dean found himself at the rocky shore once more, the sun barely peeking past the horizon and the salty air filling his lungs. It was almost calming. _Almost_. But Dean knew better than to have such false hope. He knew what lay beyond and what he had to do. Beg Abaddon. For what, he wasn’t entirely sure yet. For mercy, forgiveness, another chance? The list was endless and he knew better than to hope for the best, so he would just beg.

Dean was about to dive into the water and except whatever fate lay beyond, before a deep voice rung in his ear.

“Dean, you need to help us.”

He turned to see an old friend of his. The man’s clothes were ragged and looked as if he had been on the run for years. “Castiel?” Dean asked, surprised to see him.

The two of them had known each other for the longest of times. Naiads and mermaids always had got along, and in the royal line, they would be chosen to look after the young prince and princesses and Castiel was the one who had been chosen to watch Dean and his younger brother.

“Yes, it has been some time. I suggest we skip formalities for the moment. You were gone when we needed you most.”

“You know full well where I was.”

“You were turned, I understood that much but, that doesn’t change that you should have been helping your family.”

“I didn’t consider you family. Not after that. You just tossed me over to Abaddon like some broken weapon. You put me on a suicide mission. You almost got me killed!”

“It was a war, Dean, and my job was to protect the king and you were too much of a threat.” Castiel said before he sighed and looked to the ground. “We would now welcome you back with open arms.”

“Open arms?” Dean repeated in disbelief. “Why would I trust anything you say, Cas?”

“Because of our king. He needs you.”

“Why should I care?”

“It’s Sam,” The naiad blurted out. “The new king is Sam.”

Dean was stunned speechless. It couldn’t have been Sam. His brother wasn’t ever supposed to take on that burden. They even made an agreement that was said after their father would die, they were to start a new line. In the time of war, during this frenzy, the deal must have ended. It wasn’t safe for Sam to be the king, there had only been one promise that had been made. Kill the king, let Sam live, and if Sam is the king... Abaddon would follow through with what she planned, no matter what. “Everything burns,” Dean managed to croak out as he realized her intentions had been all along. “Even Sam…”

 


	5. Fairytale

“How long has it been since you saw him last?”

“A month…”

“A month? And you haven’t stopped looking. That’s persistent my friend. Some might even call it love.”

“And some may want you to shut the hell up.” Charlie was right. The disappearance of Dean happened far too long ago for him to bother still looking. If Dean wanted Benny gone, then he should stay gone but he can’t help himself, wishing to see those gorgeous emerald green eyes once more. No matter how hard he looked, there was still no sign of him anywhere.

Benny found himself at the beach more and more frequently those days staring at the sea. Ever since Dean’s disappearance, he’d lost the will to work, only taking his boat out to look for Dean instead of casting his nets. The mysterious man shouldn’t have impacted his life so much that when he left it would stop Benny in his tracks.

“You look like a lovelorn puppy,” Charlie commented as she sat down on the beach next to him. “Really. You should be careful moping around like that. You know how they are with enlisting recently. They’ll just make you put all of your energy into defeating those damned Germans.”

“We don’t even have forces heading over there yet, Charlie. I doubt I’m going to be dragged in,” Benny sighed. “Besides, I don’t plan on giving up looking for him.”

“You’re stressing yourself out for nothing. He left, he’s not coming back. All of us sailors have fallen for a fairytale or two.”

Benny’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He’s the same guy who saved you, right? What made you jump into the water to make him drag you out anyway?”

Benny wanted to answer, but he really didn’t know. He could swear up and down that it was because he ran into the rocks. Or say something like he thought he heard someone screaming and wanted to help out, but Charlie was smarter than that and knew him far too well to get away with the lies.

“I heard music,” Benny confessed. “It was this beautiful singing and then I saw this thing with gorgeous eyes hiding in the water and I couldn’t help myself.”

“Singing?” Charlie repeated in disbelief. “You heard singing and you didn’t mention it? Benny, you could have died!”

“What are you on about?”

“Sirens.” The moment she said that one word, his blood ran cold. He didn’t want to believe in anything like that, but his father was extremely superstitious, and as much as he doesn’t want to believe in some fantasy, the legend of the killers were still more than unnerving.

“I expected something cheesy like a mermaid or a water nymph.” Charlie continued, running a hand through her loose hair. “A siren… do you know what those things can do to you?”

“Of course I know, and I know they aren’t real.”

“Don’t get to hopeful,” Charlie said as she stood up. “Like I said, everyone has fallen in love with a fairy tale. There _are_ things out there. I’ve met and managed to hold on to my fair share. If you really like him, go after him. Just… be careful. I wouldn’t want your death to be the new warning for sailors against sirens.”

                                                                                     

The _Proud Mary_ wasn’t in bad condition, but it was in no shape to take out on the sea during a storm. No, what was brewing wasn’t just any storm. The skies had become ~~a~~ dark gray and the water was crashing hard against the rocks by the time he went out again, but he promised himself he would find Dean, even though the ocean looked like it could frighten Germany into surrender with just the image of the waves pounding against the shore.

He approached the familiar set of rocks slowly, but when he did catch a glimpse of them everything began to get faster. Music was playing once more, but it didn’t sound right. Instead of the sweet voice and song that he was so used to, what he heard was a bitter lament, yet he still found himself drawn to it. Not in the way he was drawn to Dean, but it felt more like someone crying out and Benny was the only one who could help.

The closer he got the louder and more desperate the song became. He tried to catch some of the words, but they didn’t sound like any language that he had heard before. It sounded ancient. Benny didn’t even notice how close he was to the rock formation until he was thrown off of his feet and ~~his head on~~ tumbling to the boat’s floor.

The boat was still, but Benny’s head was spinning. He looked up at the gray clouds overhead and began to listen closer to the music, body aching from the fall, pain shooting through his skull.

The tune changed from mournful lament to a rage filled war cry. The soft sad music that had begun easing him into unconsciousness became a screech that made his ears feel like they were bleeding and the wooden boards of the deck shook beneath him. He sat back up, his head still spinning, as lightning cracked above and the boat began to creak against the force of the waves.

Benny looked around the rocks to see if there was anything that could be making that noise. The sound continued but, unlike Dean’s song or the lament from before, this didn’t draw him any closer, if anything he wanted to get as far away as possible as if the screaming meant “Danger! Danger!”

He clambered off the boat and began to wade toward the rocks, knowing that the hull was too damaged to flee and that he still needed to find Dean, even though his instincts were telling him otherwise. As soon as his foot touched the black, rocky, shore, the screeching stopped. There was no sound at all, even the sound of the wind howling and the waves crashing had stopped. Even though the elements continued through the motions, no sound reached his ear. For a moment, Benny panicked and was about to turn back to his ship before he felt a hand grab at his ankle. He was about to pull back and make a run for it, before whatever held him pulled him down into the water in a swift motion. One minute he’s on land, feeling the wind on his face, the next he’s in the water, the fear in his chest building and swearing in his mind he never wants to get near any sort of water again as he drifted into a far too familiar feeling of unconsciousness.

                                                                                       

When Benny came to, he found himself lying in a damp, dark cave. He sat up quickly, but regretted the motion instantly as his head began to throb worse than before.

“Try not to move,” A gentle but gravelly voice broke the silence and caused Benny’s heart to skip a beat. “Don’t scream, you hit your head pretty hard, and I pulled you down pretty deep. The pressure is hell down here, if it’s hard to breathe just tell me, and I’ll pull you back up.”

“Dean?” Benny said. His vision was blurred so he was sure he must’ve just been imagining everything. The cave walls looked dark purple and there was light coming from the water somehow. And Dean, he was right in front of him, but it couldn’t have really been him. There were too many scars scattered across his frame, too many jagged bones could be seen through his skin and his eyes were sunken in. Of course, there was also the tail, the eel-like black tail under the clear water and looked to stretch down at most six feet behind the man he thought he knew.

Dean noticed where Benny was looking and sighed. “Well, now you know why I told you not to scream.”

“Yeah, I’m getting that,” The sailor said trying to collect himself once more, finally looking back to Dean’s familiar eyes and away from his unfamiliar new frame. “What are you?”

The creature sighed and looked down to his face reflected in the surface of the water. “Technically, a Siren.”

“Charlie was right…”

“What?”

“Nothing,” Benny scooched forward so he could get a closer look at Dean, trying to make sure he was okay. When he reached out to touch Dean’s face, the siren flinched away. “You look pretty rough, brother.”

“Yeah,” Dean shrugged, still keeping a distance. “War will do that to you but, I heal fast.”

Benny looked him up and down once more before replying. “It doesn’t look like it.”

“That’s beside the point.” He ran a hand through his wet hair, “I need your help.”

“With what?”

“The _war_.”

“What war?” Benny said frustratingly. “You keep mentioning it but I have no idea what the hell you are talking about.”

“Of course you don’t. No humans bother to take notice. The war between the merfolk. Have you not noticed anything different?”

“Us humans have been kind of busy with our own war, actually.”

“I hate to break it to you, but your war is the same goddamn thing as mine so try paying attention,” Dean bit back hotly. “My entire world is falling apart because of this. I’m torn between two sides. You got it easy just siding with where you are from but I can’t because my brother is on one side and my boss is on the other. Worst of all they are both trying to get to you.”

With that, there was tense silence between them. “You know too much,” Dean finally continued. “They just think you would be a casualty in the line of all of this but not to me.”

“Other than knowing too much, what do I have to do with this?”

“Your heart is a part of a spell. _Yours_ specifically. Because I started gathering what was necessary, it’s already tied to my blood and I can’t follow through because I… I care about you. More than I should.” Tears began to sting Dean’s eyes, tears that he had been holding back ever since his father died and he’d joined the other side. “I’m a monster. A fucking bottom feeder. All these deaths are my fault.”

The siren couldn’t tell where the salty sea water started and his tears ended. He wanted to stop himself, to keep fighting, but he just couldn’t. Dean was tired of everything and wished it could just be over or at least how it used to be.”

“It’s gonna be okay, cher, I’ll help, however I can,” Dean felt Benny’s arms wrap around him. Dean sighed into Benny’s shoulder, the rock and the water between them making the embrace awkward. He would have even found it humorous if it wasn’t for the situation they were in.

“One more thing,” Benny continued. “Don’t ever call yourself a monster again. Because you’re not. You’re nothing like them. You are the most selfless, loving, and loyal person I’ve ever met.”

“I wish I could believe that.” Dean breathed into Benny’s shoulder.

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to believe enough for the both of us.”

                                                                                       

They managed to get back above water with little complications. Benny knew there was some sort of magic that caused his head not to explode under all that pressure, but decided not to think about it too hard. They agreed to meet up with a friend of Dean’s at the tavern, far enough away from the docks so they won’t be able to be tracked, according to Dean. ~~~~

“You’re not looking to good, brother.”

“You mentioned that already.” Dean took a sip of his beer. “I haven’t fed since the last time we spoke.” He admitted, not bothering to look up at his company. “Going this long isn’t healthy at all, but I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Other than yourself.”

“I don’t count.”

There was a pause before Benny started to speak once more. “You know, I’d let you, right?” He began. “I don’t want you dying on me. Especially not from something that can be prevented easily. The one scare was enough for me. I got worried.”

“It’s nice that you care, but when you die, then what? I’m in my prime right now, I won’t even start aging again for another hundred years, and even then it would be incredibly slow.”

“You didn’t tell me about that…”

“Well, it didn’t matter. It still doesn’t matter.”

“Actually, Dean, it kind of does.” Before the siren even had the chance to respond, the bells in the bar rang, signaling someone’s entrance. The man walked toward him, and almost looked as bad as Dean. The white shirt he wore had tears in it and when the other patrons of the bar spotted him, they backed away just as quickly.

“I came as fast as I could,” He said as he stepped into their space. “There was an attack very close to where I was at the time. Which was incidentally where your brother was as well. Our king is alright, but he has been forced into hiding, at least for the time being.”

Dean nodded, then turned to Benny. “Well, this is Castiel, an old friend,” He turned back towards Castiel. “Cas, this is Benny.”

“So you’re the reason Dean won’t follow through on his orders from Abaddon. At this point, I’d much prefer if he actually followed through, considering all the deaths now on your head.” Castiel glared at Benny.

“And you’re the crazy aunt Dean kept going on about.”

“I have no possible relation to your sibling off-”

“You two are killing me,” Dean interrupted. “Let’s just get to the point, Cas. Benny has an idea that really could help us out.”

“And why should I trust him?”

 “Because _I_ trust him.” Dean sighed. “He knows what we are and he hasn’t ran off yet. And you promised to follow my lead on this.”

Castiel looked around the bar in thought for a few moments before agreeing. “Very well, what do we do?”

Dean looked at Benny, hoping he would take over. “So, this Abaddon whoever she is, is able to turn into a human too, right?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, all of us can, we can turn into pretty much anything. Mammal or fishlike If anything, she’s the most human already out of all of us.”

“Alright is there anything else that you know about her that would really help.”

“She was one of the first.”

“First of what?” Benny asked.

“One of the first sirens. You know, the luring men to their death kinf. She got into a fight with a muse over who had a better voice and it all went downhill form there. Abaddon is the last true siren left. She wasn’t even one of the most powerful.”

“And can whatever poition you were trying to make before kill her?”

“No,” Dean said gettingup from his barstool. “We’re not following through with that, Benny. I don’t care if it gets rid of her. The reason we’re trying to make a plan is to save you and my brother.”

“Don’t just jump to conclusions, Dean,” Cas interrupted. “The human has a point. It can kill her, even with just the few ingredients we have. We won’t be able to get her to ingest it, but maybe we could coat some blade in a poison.”

“Cas, that won’t work. She’s lived for thousands of years, you can’t just use an incomplete spell that might have not even worked on the mer-king, let alone someone who is immortal,” Dean countered. “You can’t kill her.”

“Well, you’re right about that,” Benny said, “But we may be able to slow her down for a couple hundred years.”

                                                                                       

The plan was risky, all three of them knew that, but they also just wanted the entire thing to be over as soon as possible. They were all scared that it wouldn’t work. Espesciall Dean since he stoof the most to lose. His home, Benny, Sam… the list goes on.

Empty caves weren’t exactly hard to find where they live, but finding one that was deep and dark enough, and not littered with other sirens, selkies, merrows, or anything that was on Abaddon’s side was the hardest part. It wasn’t even the threat of the creatures that scared him. It was that so many would band together fighting for the same end. That end being something that Dean was originally fighting for too. It made him wonder who exactly was the bad guy and which side he really should be on.

“Wow, Dean,” The familiar voice rung out, her honeyed power-filled words made him feel the need to draw closer, but he used all his strength against her. Even though they were both sirens, and powerful, there was no way he could resist her for longer than necessary. “You look terrible.”

“Yeah,” He responded, voice shaking. “I’ve gotten that a lot recently. You don’t look too good either, Abaddon.”

“Don’t comment on a woman’s appearance, Dean. Especiallysince you’re already on my bad side,” Abaddon tilted her head to the side, still keeping her eyes locked with Dean’s. “I haven’t fed either. Not for as long as you of course, but that brother of yours is trying to starve us out. Good thing I know how to adapt.”

“What do you mean by adapt?”

“I mean I can feed off of anything and anyone. After all, us sirens are, in your words, ‘fucking bottom feeders.’”

Dean felt his heart stop and his blood run cold. “You heard me say that?”

“Of course I heard. You may have warded it from us, it was even hard for you to stay in that cave too long. We found the traces that you left there, the glow takes hours to fade afterall. And a young mermaid just happened to be passing by. As soon as he saw me he told me everything in detail.”

“And what happened to the kid?”

“I told you I would find a way to adapt. Just a casualty,” She shrugged nonchalantly. “Now, where is that human of yours. His heart is racing right now, you and I can both hear it. And the fear that he’s giving off is just heavenly.”

“That’s what I came here to talk about,” Dean said, forcing himself to sound camanding. “A deal. I give you, Benny, but you have to promise me that Sam surrvives the destruction.”

“I can’t trust you.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re you,” She took a few steps closer to him, “The line you came from is full of liars, scheemers, and hunters of our kinds. I knew your grandfather after all. I just want you to know that we’re not even the bad guys, Dean. You’ve seen what you’re family are capable of. The unnecessary war that your father started because of your mother’s death is what caused all of this to happen and you know it. It’s a domino effect and you and your brother are the final two pieces. I tried making a deal, but you obviously didn’t follow through. So you have three choices you and Benny live, but your brother dies. You and Sam live, but Benny dies. Or you and your brother are the ones to die, and Benny lives on, without you or any memory of you. You should be thankful,” She continued. “You’re death is just a mercy killing considering all the things you’ve done. Which one will it be?”

“What happens if I don’t make a choice?”

“Then all three of you die, I thought I made that obvi-” The siren was cut off by a knife being held to her neck, a concotion of all the materials that Dean had to receive lined the knife.

“Wrong answer,” Benny said as he pressed the knife harder into her skin. “Try again.”

“Benny, what the hell?” Dean said louder than anticipated. “This wasn’t the plan! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Abaddon struggled against him, but all Benny did was hold on tighter to her. “I wouldn’t let her talk to you like that.” With that, Benny presses even harder and slices across her neck. Her eyes glowed and she fell to the ground with a thud.

For a moment, it was quiet between them, besides the crashing of the waves against the walls of the cave. “That was too easy….” Dean said breaking the silence. “We didn’t have all the parts that shouldn’t have been possible.”

“We had all the ingredients,” Benny said taking a deep breath as he looked over. “A close friend of yours helped me out with that part. And you’re right, it was too easy. She’s immortal after all. Abaddon will come back, eventually.”

“Wait,” Dean said holding his hands up to slow Benny down. “What friend are you talking about? What did you do?”

“It wasn’t that hard,” Dean turned around to see his brother. He looked like a normal human, if you didn’t know him, you would just assume he was someone who worked on one of the ships. His hair was tied back and his sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, his pants reached his ankles and he didn’t have any shoes. “Mom taught us a little spell work, remember?”

“Yeah, of course I remember but…” Dean looked to Benny, then back to Sam. “What did you do?”

“Soul binding,” Sam shrugged. “It’s risky. But I felt risky was kind of your style. As long as you keep living, so will Benny. Just as a thanks to saving, well, everything. It’s going to take some time to build it back up though. And we’ll have to keep Abaddon locked up somewhere just in case she does get back up.”

“Sammy, I can’t. Hell, I should be bowing to you right now,” Dean said and was about to follow through with what he suggested before Sam shook his head.

“Dean, don’t. As soon as everything is rebuilt and in order I’m stepping down, something this family should have done a while ago. Our line is done, you have a life you want to live and so do I.”


	6. World Spins Madly On

One hundred years, twenty eight wars and conflicts, fad after fad, years under cover at a time, moving to a new city once every five years, and they did all of it together. The quick, ever-changing world would throw them off their feet on occasion, but most of the time they managed to hang on.

Dean and Benny found that most things that the twenty first century had to offer made things a lot easier. Only taking very little blood from Benny only when necessary changed to being able to feed whenever with convenient blood drives that Dean managed to get a little work at. It was donated blood after all, albeit not exactly donated to him.

He also found that he really liked cars; the feel of the car’s motor underneath him, the rush he got whenever he managed to push his car into the high nineties. So, he became a mechanic, rebuilding older models that he had seen created at first and newer cars that he knew almost nothing about but fixed it up nonetheless.

Benny, on the other hand, wanted to open a restaurant. Their main meals were of course fish based because he didn’t stop fishing. Also, bringing in a little bit of Cajun flare to wherever they move to and then when they move away, let someone he trusts enough to take over while they move on, rebuild the restaurant and then repeat.

No, it wasn’t the easiest life, Benny’s friends had passed on long ago. But it was their life, and he could work with what they had.

“Did nobody get to you guys yet?” Dean asked as he walked up to one of the tables in their restaurant with a family looking around. The father shook his head. “Well, then, I’m Dean, welcome to Siren’s Song, can I start you guys off with some drinks?”

“Can I have and apple juice?” The five year old daughter of the two adults said, looking up at Dean.

“Of course you can, princess,” Dean said smiling. “And the parents?”

“We’ll just have water.” The mother said, then Dean nodded, told them their drinks would be right out, and walked back to the kitchen.

“Did that family order their food already?” Benny asked as he saw Dean walk in.

“No, just wanted to ask you something.”

“Is it about how the last time you fed was twelve days and,” The cook looked at his watch. “Five hours ago?”

Dean sighed. “I get that we’ve known each other for one hundred years now, but you don’t need to pay attention to my eating habits so diligently.”

“One minor flaw with having our lifelines tied together, I can tell when anything happens to you and you can tell when anything happens to me.”

“Like when you got shot during World War Two?”

“Or that one time you almost ended up starving yourself during the AIDS outbreak,” Benny shrugged. “All I’m saying is I know when you’re hungry. After you bring the people their drinks then you can just drink from me so you won’t pass out.”

“That wasn’t even what I was going to ask about.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’m not what I’d do if anything happened to you.”

“You’d die,” Dean added. “Literally.”

“Yeah, I know. Now go get their drinks and then get your pretty little ass back here.”


End file.
